State lawmakers are calling for an independent commission to investigate Illinois-linked crimes connected to international sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Democratic lawmakers Monday joined advocates for women and survivors of sexual abuse to introduce House Bill 5723, called the Illinois Epstein Files Investigation Act.
The bill, if passed, would create a commission to investigate Illinois-based crimes connected to Epstein’s network. Those would focus primarily on the stories of victims in Illinois and crimes that may have occurred in Illinois.
“Survivors connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking network have been telling us the same thing, that the abuse didn’t happen in a vacuum,” said bill sponsor Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, a Democrat from Bridgeview.
The proposed 10-member commission would be appointed by the governor and approved by the state Senate. At least three of those members must be from a different party than the governor. Members of the commission would be unpaid, but could submit for reimbursement of expenses, should the General Assembly decide to provide funding.
While Rashid said he would welcome bipartisan support, the board’s makeup and the governor’s power over it may make Republican votes difficult to find.
Bill advocates say the commission is needed to fill a gap left at the federal level as the U.S. Department of Justice faces criticism for withholding records from the Epstein files, particularly pertaining to President Donald Trump.
“It’s absolutely stomach-churning and awful to see what these survivors have been through, and to let the wheels of justice fall off at the federal level is an abomination,” said Rep. Anne Stava, a Naperville Democrat. “It’s often said ‘the wheel of justice turns slowly.’ In this case, we need to speed that up.”
Tony McCombie, the Republican Minority Leader in the House, called Epstein’s crimes “horrific,” but added, “Creating a ‘commission’ here may generate headlines, but it does not deliver justice to victims.”
“But let’s also be honest: Illinois legislators cannot subpoena federal investigators, prosecute international trafficking rings, or conduct a parallel federal criminal investigation from Springfield,” added McCombie, who represents the 89th District in northwestern Illinois.
The bill would give the commission investigatory authority to request records from state and local agencies, issue subpoenas for documents and testimony, and provide confidentiality protections to victims and other whistleblowers. Victims would not be compelled to testify against their wishes, according to Rashid.
The commission would hold public meetings and issue public reports, redacted as needed for privacy.
It would be required to submit an initial report within its first year of operation and another before it ceases operations after five years. Any investigative files open at the time the commission closes its doors would be transferred to the attorney general’s office.
“This commission will have real teeth, subpoena power, the ability to refer criminal evidence to the Attorney General and the independence to follow the facts wherever they lead,” said Democratic Sen. Graciela Guzmán of Chicago.
The bill would allow the attorney general to call a statewide grand jury to investigate and prosecute crimes related to Epstein, including sexual exploitation of children, child pornography, human trafficking, money laundering, racketeering and perjury.
The governor’s cousin, Thomas Pritzker, recently resigned from his role as the executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels after his association with Epstein and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell came into clearer view through emails released in the Epstein files tranche.
When asked about his cousin’s connection to Epstein in a recent interview, the governor said that anyone who has done something wrong should be held accountable.